


illuminations

by vagarius



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, N Things, Slice of Life, Vignettes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:29:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagarius/pseuds/vagarius
Summary: 10 winters, softly glowing
Relationships: Arakawa Shifuto & Asuka Haruto & Ikaruga Madoka, Ikaruga Madoka & Ikaruga Misumi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 31





	illuminations

**Author's Note:**

> merry christmas, prince~

i.

It's much too cold for the fireflies.

They flicker above the grass like candles in the wind, and dance around each other like stars, close but never touching. Madoka wonders what's stopping them. In the dark, their bodies shine like beacons.

He shivers.

Madoka, too, endures the winter chill.

ii.

He meets Santa Claus once, when he's small.

He sees the red suit through the sliver of open doorway. Madoka holds his breath when he passes, his footfalls light and familiar. Another door slides open further down the hall.

"Jii-chan?" a voice asks. "Why are you dressed like that?"

 _Ah,_ Madoka thinks. _Even like this, Santa only visits the good kids._

His own door slides open much, much later, when the moon is already swimming in the cloudy sky. There's the gentle _thump_ of something being placed on his desk, before a hand tenderly pushes back the hair from his forehead. Madoka breathes as evenly as he can.

"Merry Christmas, Madoka," his Santa Claus whispers. "Sleep well."

Then Santa Claus leaves once more.

iii.

Madoka wakes up to a rush of cold.

He pulls his blanket tighter around him, but the chill remains, cold wind whistling across his bed.

_… Wind?_

Reluctantly, Madoka blinks open his eyes, the morning sun barely peeking over the windowsill. It glistens under and through the glass, like snowflakes in front of a streetlight. Another breeze blows in.

The floor is icy under Madoka's feet. His fingers tense as he pulls the window shut. When he turns, his foot hits something solid, the object sliding toward his desk.

He reaches down. It's a triangular box, painstakingly wrapped. Each corner is crisp, the wrapping paper shiny and cleanly cut. Madoka flips the box over in his hands.

_Love, Santa Claus_ _Δ_

Madoka exhales.

Far below his window, a lone firefly is lost in the sun.

iv.

He buys the paper on a whim, yellows and blues and oranges, all wrapped neatly in plastic, along with a gift bag to put them in. They all sit carefully arranged in his shopping bag, and Madoka, briefly, allows himself a smile.

His breaths puff out like little clouds while he walks, the pavement still lined with melting snow. Pink sunlight glistens off the roads, framed with patchwork ice. He pulls his scarf more securely around his neck.

He slips.

He braces himself on gloved hands as he falls, his wrists tingling at the impact. His shopping bag spills open on the ground, and the paper packets slide out onto the sidewalk, straight into the dirt-stained snow. The giftbag, too, suffers the same fate, growing soggy at the edges and corners.

He gathers them all quickly, placing everything back in the shopping bag as his own knees soak up the cold. He stands.

He rolls his wrists, then continues walking home.

v.

Madoka's steps slow to a stop when he sees his brother on Veludo Way.

He's with Sakisaka, this time, passing out flyers for the latest play. Sakisaka is a presence to be reckoned with, Madoka knows, despite his soft appearance. The air around him glows, like sunlight through the clouds.

They spot Madoka quickly, and run over with their stacks of flyers. Madoka takes one politely, listening to Sakisaka's short-but-not-really description.

And as always, his brother shines brightly, like _Procyon_ in the winter sky.

vi.

"Brrr! It's freezing outside!"

"Did you really just say 'brrr' out loud…"

Madoka gently toes off his shoes, then shrugs off his jacket. He breathes in the slightly warmer air of Shifuto's home, shyly waving back at Oruto when he greets them.

"I know just what will warm us up!" Shifuto continues, already heading toward the kitchen.

Haruto sighs, unwrapping his scarf from around his neck. "Don't say it."

"Croquette udon!"

Madoka giggles quietly when Haruto sighs again. Shifuto laughs loudly from the room over.

Madoka has always liked it here.

"You guys should come over for the New Year, too," Shifuto comments later, speaking around a mouthful of udon.

Haruto's face twists. "Don't speak with your mouth full," he starts. "And I'm not sure if I'm ready to suffer the New Year here. You probably put croquettes on your soba."

Shifuto finishes chewing and swallows. "Huh," he says. "Maybe I will."

Haruto's forehead hits the low table. "Please don't."

Shifuto snorts. "It won't matter if you're not here, Haruto-san. Anyway, what do you say, Madoka?"

"Me?" Madoka asks.

Shifuto leans over the table, dangerously close to knocking over his bowl. "Let's have croquette soba this New Year, okay?"

"Okay," Madoka answers, without really thinking.

Even when he does think about it, his answer remains the same.

vii.

Madoka blinks his eyes open as a small hand lands on his shoulder.

"Madoka," his brother whispers, shaking his shoulder lightly. "It's almost the New Year, so don't fall asleep yet, okay?"

"I'm not," Madoka mumbles, grabbing his brother's hand. He leans forward, landing on his brother's chest. After a beat of hesitation, his brother's arm wraps around him. Even in winter, Misumi's hold is warm. Madoka's eyes slip closed again.

For the first and last time, Madoka starts the year in his brother's arms.

viii.

Gold lights line the trees, bringing warmth to the cold night sky. They dye the sidewalk a murky blue. Madoka walks slowly along it, soaking in the golden hues.

"It's you," a voice calls out from behind him.

Madoka jumps and turns, then relaxes when he sees Usui approaching. Madoka gets the feeling he doesn't approach many people. "Usui-kun," he greets.

Usui nods in response.

By some unsaid agreement, the two of them begin walking together. "What are you doing here?" Madoka asks.

"Scoping out the perfect date for the director," he replies automatically. He shoves his hands deeper into his coat pockets. "Sakuya also wanted the Spring Troupe to do something together before the New Year. So I figured I'd check this out. To see if it's worth going to."

Madoka hums. The golden lights seem to twinkle. "Does Usui-kun approve?"

"They're pretty," Usui deadpans.

"Like fireflies," Madoka breathes, then clears his throat. "Or maybe like stars? Since they don't flicker like fireflies do."

Masumi gives him a sideways glance before turning his gaze back toward the trees. "Stars, fireflies, Christmas lights," he lists. "They're all the same, aren't they?"

Madoka tilts back his head, staring up at the branches. He can't make out all the bulbs from here – some are on the other side of the branches, after all, facing the sky – but someone else can surely see them, from somewhere higher. From a building window, maybe. From another street.

 _Oh,_ Madoka thinks, under the golden lights. _I guess they are._

ix.

Madoka's phone rings at midnight.

_Merry Christmas, Madoka!_

Madoka's lips pull upward. He quickly replies, arms raised over his covers.

_Merry Christmas, Nii-san._

The companion stars of _Procyon_ circle each other in the sky.

x.

"Here, Madoka."

Madoka looks up from his phone, he eyes crossing to focus on the cup his brother holds out. He pockets his phone, then grabs the steaming cup from his brother's hands. The heat seeps in through his gloves. "Thanks, Nii-san."

Misumi grins, his hands wrapping around his own cup. "Who was Madoka talking to?"

"Shifuto," Madoka answers. "He wished Haruto and I a happy New Year."

Misumi hums. "Everyone from Mankai did the same. Kazu even sent special New Year's stickers!" He shuffles his feet. "I can show them to Madoka later?"

Madoka lightly blows over his drink. He takes a small sip. "That would be nice, Nii-san."

Misumi bounces on his toes before turning toward the horizon. "It's starting~" he chimes, so Madoka follows his gaze.

The sunrise is the same as any other. It's hard to see, past the small crowd of people, but the sun's rays have a way of always reaching them. It's over quicker than Madoka expects, pinks giving way to yellows and greens, until the sun has temporarily settled in the pearly, pale blue sky.

Madoka lets the idle chatter around him fill his ears while they wait for their fortunes. Madoka unfolds his with care, revealing words with gloved fingers. _Future blessing,_ he reads. _Huh._

"Madoka?" his brother asks, his own fortune in hand. "Are you going to tie up your fortune?"

Up in the trees, blessings and curses sway in the wind, knotted deftly with hopeful fingers.

Madoka folds his fortune back up, and places it into his pocket. "I think I'll keep this one."

Misumi smiles, warm like a candle. "Me too."

**Author's Note:**

> The star _Procyon_ is one of the brightest in the sky. It is part of both the Winter Triangle and the Winter Hexagon (sometimes called the Winter Circle). Procyon is actually a binary star system, made of Procyon A and the dimmer Procyon B. They have an orbital period of about 41 years.


End file.
